Daylight Saving Time Survival Tips

5. Get moving

Make the most of the light in the morning and use that extra hour for a morning workout, Ziegler suggests.

If you can’t exercise in the morning, it’s still a good idea to incorporate some activity into your day.

“Exercise has been shown in studies to improve sleep quality,” Paruthi says. “It’s recommended that we get at least 150 minutes of movement or exercise per week, which could be as simple as walking 30 minutes five days a week.”

If you feel an afternoon slump when it gets dark outside earlier than expected, avoid naps or too much caffeine, says Dr. Beth Ann Malow, a professor of sleep at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

“Instead, go for a brisk walk, as exercise wakes us up and also promotes sleep later that night,” Malow says.

6. Block out light

If sunrise wakes you up too early after the clock change, install some blackout curtains. Even easier: Don a sleep mask.

Your eyelids alone can’t block out all the light, research shows. In fact, the latest research indicates that sleeping in total darkness could do more than just help your sleep; it may also boost your cardiovascular and cognitive health.

7. Try not to stress

Try not to worry too much about the time change, Drerup says.

“Worrying about it actually just makes it worse for a lot of people,” she says. “You may feel a little off for a couple of days, but most people who don’t have chronic insomnia or a sleep disorder do pretty well.”  

An end to time shifts?

Though efforts have been made to stop the nation’s shift between daylight saving time and standard time, nothing has happened, and most of the U.S. still moves the clocks forward and back each year. Some states and territories do not participate and therefore don’t change their clocks.

Zeitzer’s study published Sept. 15 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences compared permanent standard time, permanent daylight saving time and shifting biannually. Shifting is the worst for our health, the researchers said. Sticking with either permanent time would be better — and a permanent standard time would benefit the most people, they say.

A permanent standard time would prevent approximately 300,000 strokes per year and result in about 2.6 million fewer people having obesity, according to the study. Sticking with DST permanently would accomplish about two-thirds of that effect.

Zeitzer’s study evaluated only the impact of time policy on circadian-linked changes in health, but other aspects need to be assessed to get a bigger idea of what’s best, he says. Other factors to consider include the impacts on exercise, economics and safety.​

An American Heart Association statement released Oct. 28 showed that disruptions to your circadian clock affect blood sugar regulation, blood pressure and inflammation. The disruptions can also affect your cardiovascular risk.

Changes in sleep and light exposure are linked to higher risks of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

​DST returns next year on Sunday, March 8.

Editor’s note: This article, first published March 12, 2021, has been updated with new information.